After vetting hard at Los Angeles County’s failure to coordinate evacuation during the fatal fire in January, the county will consider creating a registry for people with disabilities and other mobility challenges in the event of a future disaster.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion filed Tuesday by supervisors Janice Hahn and Kathryn Berger to study potential registrations after 17 people died in Altadena in January.
Analysis of the period shows that the median age of those killed was 77, with at least a third suffering from impairments that could affect mobility. The Times report revealed that Western Altadena had not received an official evacuation warning until almost nine hours after the Eton fire began.
The Times reported last week that LA County failed to follow California Emergency Services recommendations 16 months before the LA County fire, in order to “good” the emergency planning and evacuation needs of the most vulnerable residents and do more to speed up California law and “comprehensive best practices.”
“When the next disaster occurs, we need to be better prepared to evacuate those who cannot evacuate themselves,” Hearn said in a statement. “In emergencies, first responders need to know who our most vulnerable residents are, where they are, and how we reach when the minutes are important and life takes place.”
Altadena’s representative burger described the move as “an important step in strengthening our preparation and response efforts.”
“It is devastating to know that the average age of the 17 people lost in the Eton Fire is 77, a tragic reminder of the urgent need to protect seniors and people with disabilities during emergency evacuations,” Berger said in a statement. “We have an obligation to ensure no one is left behind.”
Until nearly a decade ago, LA County maintained a list of vulnerable residents. However, authorities abolished the database of specific needs awareness planning in 2016.
In a 2016 presentation, the county suggested that SNAP was too expensive, “less acceptance by disability communities, outdated software,” and “limited use for emergency planning.”
Monitor, appointed to the court of Disabled Persons in LA County, agreed. After the 2009 lawsuit settled in 2012, Monitor argued in its final 2018 settlement report that “LA County’s decision to suspend SNAP is correct.”
The motion, approved Tuesday, directed the county’s Aging Disorders Office to work with the county’s chief executive officer, emergency management department, fire chief and sheriff, and to consider creating a registry that could help emergency responders find and support people with mobility issues in future emergency evacuations.
The Aging Disorders will report to the board 120 days after attracting representatives from the disability community to better understand mobility challenges and the needs of older adults. It also assesses potential legal, technical and privacy challenges in the registry and explores other potential solutions, including aggressive emergency notification programs and improved agency-wide data sharing protocols.
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“Given the continued growth of our elderly population and the number of disabled adults in our county, it’s important that we have options to help people plan their own well-being and safety so that they can plan their own well-being and safety in emergencies.”
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Malone said he is looking forward to working with the feasibility study to look into best practices by calling publicly for the register of disabled people after the fire at a county commission meeting in January.
“The unprecedented community fire in January 2025 highlighted the important necessity and importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable groups in emergencies,” Marrone said in a statement.
This story will be updated.
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